History of Square Asset Management

Origin, Founders and Legacy

Square Asset Management – Sociedade Gestora de Organismos de Investimento Coletivo, S.A. (also referred to as Square AM) was founded in 2005 with a clear ambition: to establish itself in Portugal as a leading independent real estate fund manager — solid, specialised and focused on creating consistent long-term value.

It was incorporated at a time when the domestic market was primarily dominated by management companies belonging to large banking groups, with little room for truly independent models. Thus, Square AM has taken a distinctive position since its inception, based on professional management, prudence and a long-term strategic vision.

The founders and their vision

Square AM was founded by a select group of professionals with recognised experience in the financial and real estate sectors, particularly the following founding partners: Mário Tomé | Pedro Coelho | Luísa Bordado | Luís Salinas.

Square Asset Management – Founding Partners

The company was the result of the shared vision of these partners, who identified the opportunity to create an independent management company capable of competing with the largest operators in the market through a more agile governance model, rigorous investment processes, an exclusive focus on real estate and a culture based on prudence, transparency and responsibility.

This independence would profoundly mark Square AM's DNA, becoming one of its main factors of differentiation and recognition in the market.

Building a model of excellence

The founders’ technical expertise, combined with a culture of rigour and proximity, was the basis for the launch of innovative products for the time. They were pioneers in the creation of divestment funds composed of portfolios of non-performing loans from banks and open-ended accumulation funds such as CA Património Crescente, created in 2005, which would become the largest open-ended real estate fund in the Iberian Peninsula, currently with more than €1.4 billion in assets under management.

Structural principles were defined from early on that would remain the hallmarks of Square AM: prudent liquidity and risk management, rigorous analysis of assets and tenants, and a consistent policy of sectoral and geographical diversification of portfolios.

This management philosophy has consolidated Square AM as one of the most reputed and award-winning management companies in the Iberian landscape.

Recognition and responsibility

Throughout its history, Square AM has been honoured with several prestigious national and international awards, reflecting the consistency of its results and the quality of its management. Among these, we highlight the distinctions awarded by APFIPP, MSCI and Euromoney, which have repeatedly recognised Square AM as one of the most profitable and consistent management companies in the real estate sector.

However, its performance goes far beyond financial results. The company was a pioneer in Portugal in classifying the CA Património Crescente and Property Core Real Estate Fund, under Article 8 of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), reinforcing its commitment to sustainability, responsibility and best governance practices.

A legacy that lives on

Square AM's history has also been marked by moments of profound loss. Two of its founding partners, Luís Salinas and, more recently, Mário Tomé, passed away, leaving a lasting impact on the organisation and the national financial sector, thanks to their decisive contribution to the professionalisation of real estate fund management in Portugal, the sector’s modernisation and its sustained growth — always driven by a responsible, ethical and humanistic vision.

With over 40 years of experience in the financial sector, Mário Tomé was one of the founding members of Square AM and served as Chairman for 20 years. His visionary leadership, strategic thinking and deep knowledge of asset management and real estate were instrumental in establishing Square AM as the largest independent real estate fund management company in Portugal.

The contribution of Luís Salinas and Mário Tomé lives on in the organisation’s investment structure, processes, culture of prudence and collective memory. Their legacy continues to guide the actions of Square Asset Management, which continues on the path of growth that they both helped to initiate, faithful to the independent model they defined and the leading role they achieved for the company in the sector.

EXECUTIVE BOARD

PEDRO COELHO

CEO
Holds a degree in Economics and Accounting and vast experience in real Estate investment funds.

LUÍSA BORDADO

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Holds a degree in Architecture/ Urban and Regional Planning and is widely experienced in real Estate development and management.

LUÍS SOUTO

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Holds a degree in Economics and over 20 years of experience in the investment fund market.

PATRÍCIA VASCONCELLOS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Holds a degree in Law and has worked for law firms and in Banking. For five years, she was Deputy Director at SQUARE A.M.

NUNO NUNES

CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER
Degree in Economics with 23 years of experience in corporate finance and commercial real estate, of which the last 9 were as head of the CBRE Capital Markets team in Portugal.

JORGE PEREIRA

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Holds a Degree in Business Management and over 36 years of experience in Banking, Investment funds and real Estate projects.

All rights reserved. SQUARE ASSET MANAGEMENT - SOCIEDADE GESTORA DE ORGANISMOS DE INVESTIMENTO COLETIVO, S.A. is a financial institution supervised by the Portuguese financial market regulator - the Portuguese securities market commission (CMVM), and is subject to European Union standards and directives.